Category → Jobs A National Emergency

President Obama should declare a state of “National Emergency For Jobs” in the United States, and issue an executive order resurrecting the WPA (Works Project Administration and the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), including the creation of a “Jobs and Infrastructure Savings Bond” (reminiscent of the “War Bonds” issued during World War II), giving Americans an opportunity to invest in the future of America from their personal savings.

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He should announce that initially the programs will be paid for by money left over from or returned to the TARP fund and the Stimulus Bill, followed by redirection of Defense Department Funds to contract for infrastructure and education technology projects — in the name of national defense — until the proceeds from the “Jobs and Infrastructure Savings Bonds” start coming in.

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Whether or not he could actually do any of this without the support of or legislation passed by Congress is something pundits (and maybe Congress) could debate endlessly — but the thing that would stick in the public’s mind, regardless, is that the President is thinking big and he is willing to try big things that have been tried successfully in past economic crises and have helped jump start the economy by providing Americans jobs so that they could buy things — so that businesses could respond to the new upsurge in demand by hiring additional workers, who could then also afford to purchase products and services they make — and market. It might be the jump-start we need — and if not — it would put the hat squarely on the heads of Congress if they contested his efforts or played “nay sayer” and refused to pass legislation implementing any of his emergency actions — or if they got bogged down eviscerating his ideas as “unworkable” or calling them European-socialist ideas and “not American”. The “not American” crowd may run the risk of becoming the “no longer a member of Congress” crowd if they refused to aid the emergency “job creation” efforts of the President.